DUTTON, DONALD CLARE "CURLY," First Lieutenant, Service # 0-1118713, U.S. Army

Donald C. Dutton was born on 13 November 1914 in Lake Elsinore, Riverside County, California, to Edward Byron Dutton (1876-1935) and Mary Florence "Mollie" Hurt (1882-1956). He was one of eight children and was a twin. His siblings included: Nell Gwynne Dutton (1898-1899), Lyndall Estine Dutton (1899-1985), Janice Meredith Dutton (1902-1985), Byron Cass Dutton (1906-1977), Edward Jefferson Dutton (1908-1966), Herman Logan Dutton (1909-1979) and Curly's twin, William Clyde Dutton (1914-1976). In 1942 he and his wife, Rose, were living at 4117 Ibis, San Diego, CA. He was working as a carpenter. His brother, Byron Cass (Barney) (also a carpenter) and Ethel Dutton were living at the same address. He enlisted 17 March 1943 in San Diego, California, in the U.S. Army. He married Rose Glick (1913-2004). They had a daughter, Linda S. Dutton later in 1943.

First assigned to the Engineering Corp, he helped to construct the Ledo Road between India and Burma (the Burma Road) to deliver much needed men and material to China. Upon war's end, he transferred to Graves Registration and stayed in the CBI theater of operations to help recover American war dead from the thousands of locations in the South Pacific region. Promoted to Sergeant, he returned to the U.S. to attend officer cadet school. Two brothers served in WW II as well: Byron Cass "Barney" Dutton met with Curly while in Indochina. Barney was honorably discharged a MSgt. Herman L. Dutton served in the European theater.